Loss of Eden (2002)

Scene 1 – 1910 · The Lindbergh farm, Minnesota. The adult Charles Lindbergh observes himself as a child and reflects upon his life.

Scene 2 – 1928 · Next Day Hill, Englewood, New Jersey. Anne Morrow confides in her sister Elisabeth that she is secretly engaged to the young pilot, Charles Lindbergh.

Scene 3 – Ellis Island · Richard Bruno Hauptmann worries that his lack of documentation will prevent his entry into the United States. He bribes another immigrant to obtain a passport and enters the country illegally.

Scene 4 – 1929 · Next Day Hill, Englewood, New Jersey. Members of the press gather outside the home of Dwight Morrow, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico. In the presence of her parents and family friends, Anne Morrow marries Charles Augustus Lindbergh.

Scene 5 – The Hauptmanns’ Tenement Apartment, New York · Hauptmann is irritated to see Anna waiting upon guests at her own wedding reception. Despite her protests, he insists that their married life will be free of domestic drudgery.

Scene 6 – 1930 · Forest Park, St. Louis. Seeking refuge from photographers, Anne and Charles reflect on the difficulty of living under public scrutiny. Left alone, Anne voices her hopes for her own future and that of her unborn child.

Scene 7 – 1932 · The Hauptmann apartment; the Lindbergh home, Hopewell, New Jersey. Anna Hauptmann berates her husband for his unexplained absences. Bruno alludes to vague business dealings that he hopes will make them wealthy. His obsession with material success is tempered by Anna’s desire for a child and a stable life. Meanwhile, the Lindberghs have moved into their nearly completed new home. When a noise is heard from the upper floor, Anne dismisses it as imagination—but later, it is discovered that the Lindberghs’ two-year-old child has disappeared.

Scene 8 – 1932 · Hopewell. Reporters aggressively question Anne for details of her child’s kidnapping. Charles is in anguish over being away when Anne received the news of their child’s death.

Scene 9 – 1934 · The Hauptmann apartment. Bruno Hauptmann’s behavior has become increasingly erratic and moody. When Anna questions his financial scheming, he turns violent. As he leaves the apartment, he is arrested by the police.

Scene 10 – 1935 · The courthouse, Flemington, New Jersey. Against the backdrop of legal proceedings in the kidnapping trial, Charles, Anne, and Anna Hauptmann voice their thoughts.

Scene 11 – 1936 · The state prison, Trenton, New Jersey; the Lindbergh home. Just hours before her husband’s execution, Anna Hauptmann is given Bruno’s clothes and personal possessions. Meanwhile, the Lindberghs plan to live abroad. As Anne confronts Charles with the weight of her unspoken grief, Bruno Hauptmann is executed.